this is mentioned in the night at the opera dvd by brian...just to let you know....or remember...
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I always thought Somebody to Love was the climax! Ha.
Anyway, I don't agree that March of the Black Queen was just a prototype.
I think Freddie was a great song writer very early on, and in my opinion, he was trying to show just what he was capable of (to show his genius).
Anyway, I don't agree that March of the Black Queen was just a prototype.
I think Freddie was a great song writer very early on, and in my opinion, he was trying to show just what he was capable of (to show his genius).
very old topic...but for clarification
Fairy feller's Masterstroke/Nevermore/March of the Black Queen are accepted as Freddie's genesis of Bo Rhap (albeit) in an very embryonic stage
as for Fairy King (a gem) - this is a direct life from Robert Browning's - Pied Piper of Hamelyn
hope this helps
Fairy feller's Masterstroke/Nevermore/March of the Black Queen are accepted as Freddie's genesis of Bo Rhap (albeit) in an very embryonic stage
as for Fairy King (a gem) - this is a direct life from Robert Browning's - Pied Piper of Hamelyn
hope this helps
[QUOTE][QUOTENAME]Sebastian wrote: [/QUOTENAME]So 'Bo Rhap' was written that way because Freddie couldn't write well ... interesting theory.
[/QUOTE]
Maybe not Bohemian Rhapsody. But definatly the a-cyclic songs from the first 2 albums. Don't you think it's a coincedence (sp?) that Freddie wasn't able to write normal pop tunes in the late 60's. So he put several ideas together.
And when he was in Queen. He didn't make a lot of normal pop/rock tunes. And the ones he did were also just a short idea. Sometimes modulated a lot of times (like Funny how Love Is for example) and sometimes kept as a short song (Nevermore)
It's also strange that he stopped doing acyclic songs when he started writing normal pop tunes.
I'm not saying he was a bad songwriter, cause he most definatly was great, even if it was the case that he wrote those songs because he couldn't do anything else.
[/QUOTE]
Maybe not Bohemian Rhapsody. But definatly the a-cyclic songs from the first 2 albums. Don't you think it's a coincedence (sp?) that Freddie wasn't able to write normal pop tunes in the late 60's. So he put several ideas together.
And when he was in Queen. He didn't make a lot of normal pop/rock tunes. And the ones he did were also just a short idea. Sometimes modulated a lot of times (like Funny how Love Is for example) and sometimes kept as a short song (Nevermore)
It's also strange that he stopped doing acyclic songs when he started writing normal pop tunes.
I'm not saying he was a bad songwriter, cause he most definatly was great, even if it was the case that he wrote those songs because he couldn't do anything else.
Indeed there are people who can only write that way when they're starting. After 'II' Freddie had definitely learnt how to use his creativity in a more accessible way without losing sophistication.
People tend to overrate 'II' too much, and underrate 'SHA' when it comes to songwriting, but actually I think Mercury was far better in 'Sheer': he could do trickier stuff and at the same time being catchy and listeneable.
'Bo Rhap' is definitely much more complex musically than 'Black Queen' (even though it's shorter), and it's much more "pop" too!
People tend to overrate 'II' too much, and underrate 'SHA' when it comes to songwriting, but actually I think Mercury was far better in 'Sheer': he could do trickier stuff and at the same time being catchy and listeneable.
'Bo Rhap' is definitely much more complex musically than 'Black Queen' (even though it's shorter), and it's much more "pop" too!
But you agree that Freddie wrote stuff like My Fairy King and March of the Black Queen because he was incapable of writing real pop tunes?
Because I don't think this was what Freddie wanted, to be honest. I think he did it because he couldn't do something else. (That doesn't mean it is worse, or better than other songwrite)
Because I don't think this was what Freddie wanted, to be honest. I think he did it because he couldn't do something else. (That doesn't mean it is worse, or better than other songwrite)
[QUOTE][QUOTENAME]Sebastian wrote: [/QUOTENAME]So 'Bo Rhap' was written that way because Freddie couldn't write well ... interesting theory.
BTW 'Real Life' is REMINISCENT of the intro of 'Bo Rhap', but it doesn't mean it's the same. Likewise, 'Let Your Heart Rule Your Head' is reminiscent of '39 but it doesn't mean Brian started writing LYHRYH in 1975.[/QUOTE]
"ut I don't think we actually finished
anything. There was a cowboy-type song called 'The Real Life', which was
actually reminiscent of the first part of 'Bohemian Rhapsody'. That was the
chorus at that time, although it could have been one of Brian's songs."
Thats the quote. If he says 'That was the chorus at the time' I think it's fair to say that it evolved and that parts of it became the BoRhap intro.
If Let Your Heart was the chorus at the time of '39 it would also be a totally different story.
BTW 'Real Life' is REMINISCENT of the intro of 'Bo Rhap', but it doesn't mean it's the same. Likewise, 'Let Your Heart Rule Your Head' is reminiscent of '39 but it doesn't mean Brian started writing LYHRYH in 1975.[/QUOTE]
"ut I don't think we actually finished
anything. There was a cowboy-type song called 'The Real Life', which was
actually reminiscent of the first part of 'Bohemian Rhapsody'. That was the
chorus at that time, although it could have been one of Brian's songs."
Thats the quote. If he says 'That was the chorus at the time' I think it's fair to say that it evolved and that parts of it became the BoRhap intro.
If Let Your Heart was the chorus at the time of '39 it would also be a totally different story.
I stick with " which was actually reminiscent of the first part of 'Bohemian Rhapsody'", but anyway I agree to disagree there.
Regarding your other point ("I don't think this was what Freddie wanted, to be honest. I think he did it because he couldn't do something else") I agree with half of that: I do think that he polished the songs until they were exactly as he wanted them (remember how a meticulous perfectionist he was), but I do agree that he probably wouldn't be able - yet - of doing a pop tune (it's not as easy as many tend to think). So he chose to focus the songs in what he could do best at the time: complex forms, long non-repetitive melodies, elaborate cross-references ... perhaps that was his "defence mechanism" to hide the fact that he couldn't come up with a catchy verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus thing.
In 1972, Brian definitely hadn't got enough expertise to write something as complex 'My Fairy King', but Freddie definitely hadn't got enough expertise to write something as catchy (yet somewhat sophisticated in its own way) and timeless as 'Keep Yourself Alive'. That's why I think they complemented each other quite well.
Most of the forum posters would probably dislike 'Liar' or 'Black Queen' if they were from a different composer. But most of us would love 'Keep Yourself' even if it were an NSYNC tune ;)
Regarding your other point ("I don't think this was what Freddie wanted, to be honest. I think he did it because he couldn't do something else") I agree with half of that: I do think that he polished the songs until they were exactly as he wanted them (remember how a meticulous perfectionist he was), but I do agree that he probably wouldn't be able - yet - of doing a pop tune (it's not as easy as many tend to think). So he chose to focus the songs in what he could do best at the time: complex forms, long non-repetitive melodies, elaborate cross-references ... perhaps that was his "defence mechanism" to hide the fact that he couldn't come up with a catchy verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus thing.
In 1972, Brian definitely hadn't got enough expertise to write something as complex 'My Fairy King', but Freddie definitely hadn't got enough expertise to write something as catchy (yet somewhat sophisticated in its own way) and timeless as 'Keep Yourself Alive'. That's why I think they complemented each other quite well.
Most of the forum posters would probably dislike 'Liar' or 'Black Queen' if they were from a different composer. But most of us would love 'Keep Yourself' even if it were an NSYNC tune ;)